FINALLY FINISHED MY TRIP REPORT: ITALY
 

We just returned from a great vacation in Italy (8/11-8/19). Specifically we went to Venice and Tuscany (including Florence). Neither my wife nor myself had been there before and I wanted to say thank you to everyone on this site for wonderful advice. Here are a few of our observations and comments from our trip.

Background: married couple in late twenties from Texas.

Initial Notes:
(1) When we were there Europe was enduring a major heat wave. Being from Texas we had little fear of the high temps, however while the temperature was 109 when we left for our trip every single building is air-conditioned to the max. Not the case in Italy where while the temperature was a 20 degree dip for us the insides of many buildings were bordering on uncomfortable. We dealt with it by buying and consuming lots of water and stopping frequently (took a day or two to figure this out). This is just another reminder of the heat since 2 younger people from one of the worst places to be in the summer thought it was really hot. While we loved the trip will try to avoid August in the future. Didn?t spoil the trip one bit though.
(2) The middle of our trip coincided with August 15 or Ferragosto which is a national holiday in Italy. This was a Friday and like July 4th or Memorial Day results in a 3-day weekend for many Italians. I am putting this in here so future travelers are aware of it. Our trip was only partially impacted by it, however, due to design of the trip and luck (both addressed below).

VENICE:
We arrived and departed out of Venice. We flew on miles and used our ?open-jaw? for a weekend in New York; thus we had to leave out of the same city we arrived. In Venice we stayed at the HOTEL ANTICO DOGE for the first 2 nights and the last night of our trip (155 Euro/night, includes cash discount). There was limited information about this hotel on this site but all comments were positive. Here is another endorsement for the Antico Doge. We loved this hotel. It is located on a canal in Campo San Apostoli a short five minute walk north of the Rialto Bridge, just inside the Cannaregio District (Ca D?oro is closest vap. Stop). The area has many shops and restaurants and is not overrun with tourists. The hotel is very clean, very well decorated and has a great balance of old charm with modern amenities. Mariella and the rest of the staff at the hotel were unbelievably helpful.

For those who are curious about airport transportation we took the Aliaguna waterbus to the Fondamente Nuova stop (5 euros each). This is the 2nd stop on the Aliaguna route and is thus only a 30 minute ride as opposed to the lengthy ride to San Marco which I presume most people take (only stops at the FN stop every other trip though so check ahead of time). Would recommend this route for anyone staying in the vicinity (10-minute walk dragging bags). Took an airport taxi on the return trip that was worth the 80 Euro fee. Great quick ride, but depending on budget I wouldn?t do it twice (although we compared it to taking a Lincoln town car to the destination as opposed to the city bus).

We spent a good portion of the first day wandering around the area near the Antico Doge and in the San Polo district. Eventually we wandered our way down to Piazza San Marco, seeing the Square and feeding the pigeons (very cheap enjoyable entertainment). Grabbed a front row seat on the vaporetto at San Marco and took it all the way around back to Rialto. Great introduction to Venice.

The second day we went back to San Marco to tour Doge?s Palace. I highly recommend using the Rick Steves guidebook for this tour. It was unbelievable and thoroughly enjoyable. We loved this site, and the guidebook was a major reason why. We next took the vaporetto to the Dorsoduro district and saw the Peggy Guggenheim museum. We enjoyed this museum very much as well. Spent the majority of the rest of the day wandering around Dorsoduro. Had lunch in a café in a small square somewhere in Dorsoduro. The only thing I can remember about it was that there is a church in that square that I thought looked like a main focal point in the last Indiana Jones movie (this was later verified as accurate by the DK Top 10 Venice guide). Side note: that guide is very helpful when you are lost in a section of town and don?t know what to see, where to go or what is nearby (which is almost every moment you are in Venice!).

This leads to another interesting aspect of Venice. Since 90% of the people who are there are visitors (at least during our visit) all are openly carrying maps and many of those have guidebooks out in the open. I usually try to conceal the fact that I am a tourist and try to look at a map only indoors, but in Venice you almost look out of place if you aren?t openly carrying a map. Cracks me up.

After wandering around Dorsoduro we took the easy vaporetto ride back to San Marco. We bought an oil painting from a street vendor (probably overpaid but he recognized us from the day before?did we stick out that much?). We then decided to check out the ?famous? Harry?s Bar and pay $50 each (or whatever they charge) for an afternoon drink! There was nobody in the place and we soon discovered why. We were instructed to leave for not wearing pants. I wanted to tell the guy that the entire city (literally) was wearing shorts because there was thing called a major heat wave going on (highlighted by thousands dying in France) and he would be lucky if anyone met the dress code in the middle of the afternoon. Somehow I kept it inside. Decided not to return later that night when we actually did meet the entrance requirements. After departing Harry?s we decided to follow Rick Steves alternate route back to Rialto from San Marco (the non-congested route) and were pleasantly surprised with what we found. Quiet streets, great shops, interesting sites. Highly recommend this detour. Later that night we ate dinner and hung out in Campo Santa Margherita back in Dorsoduro.

Overall impression of Venice: My wife absolutely loved it. Favorite part of the trip. I had been looking forward to Venice so much that initially it was a slight letdown, HOWEVER upon returning several days later I was convinced that it was one of the greatest places I have ever been. Probably my favorite as well.

FLORENCE

When we left Venice we knew we would be spending 4 nights elsewhere before returning. We decided to rent a car instead of taking the train. This was probably the best decision I made. I absolutely loved driving in Italy. While I could see how many people think drivers in Italy are crazy and driving itself is nerve-racking I felt otherwise. I drive a small manual car at home and wished I had it here. The Peugeot upgrade was good enough though! This is how driving should be. Everyone drives in the right and passes on the left. No ridiculous traffic jams caused by a slow car in the left. While my navigator left a lot to be desired I found the signs well-marked and followed the signs for the cities as opposed to the roads (as a result only got displaced two times and even those were only 2 minute errors). I should probably also say that I enjoy driving 170 km/hour when my wife can?t tell exactly how fast that is! Made the ride to Florence in less than 2.5 hours.

In Florence we stayed at the HOTEL SILLA. While the front desk was extremely helpful and the hotel was clean I would rate it 4th of the 4 hotels we stayed at. In fact we had planned on spending 2 nights in Florence, followed by one in Siena, followed by a 3rd night in Florence, and for several reasons cancelled our return to Florence. We arrived around lunchtime in Florence the day before Ferragosto, a national holiday. I had previously verified that all major sights would in fact be open on Ferragosto so we decided to devote a good portion of this day to the numerous shops that were scheduled to close for the entire weekend (the next 3 days).

Our first stop was the famous Ponte Vecchio. This is a bridge of very expensive jewelry (at least everything that my wife picked up was). We were rather disappointed with the Ponte Vecchio but that was probably our own fault. We had for no real reason envisioned it to be like the stores in the Caribbean or the Jewelry District in Philly where everyone sells for below retail. This was full retail and much more expensive than back home. When we finally found something that we were interested in purchasing, we were told that the (very small mind you) E500 locket/charm ?looked so real you could hardly tell it was cubic zirconium?. Ummm, yeah we?ll be leaving the bridge now, thanks for your time.

We did have a good time wandering the markets and high-end stores as well as everything in between. Bought a few things but not that much. We were amazed how almost every street in Florence has a museum feel. Tons of art everywhere you look. At around 6 we decided to take a stab at the Accademia to see if we could get in just before closing. Initially we walked right past it, as the place needs a new entrance of some sort. I was convinced we walked into the Accademia?s warehouse. There was nobody in line and not many people inside. Thus, we would not need our reservations the following day. This however was a blessing as we were able to get really close to David without many other tourists around. We remarked how if this was in the US it would be behind bulletproof glass. We stayed in the museum about 20 more minutes and saw everything it had to offer (not much). They could probably put drawings of stick figures and average doodles on the wall and people would still pay to come in. Still amazing to see one of the greatest works of art that close with not many other people around.

The next day we woke up early and went to the Uffizi. We had reservations and walked past a decent length line. We stayed there about 90 minutes making sure to cut out a few of the rooms to prevent my head from exploding. Probably could have used Rick Steves insight for this museum but instead I was stuck with the awful DK guide for all of Florence and Tuscany. (For this region we decided one big book of everything would be better than several smaller big books. Big mistake. ) We were also amazed how close you can get to all the art here as well. You could actually touch the paintings if you wanted to (and if you had absolutely no class). I guess that stuff doesn?t happen in Italy.

After departing the Uffizi we decided to make the climb up the Duomo. Unfortunately because it was a Catholic holiday the Duomo was not scheduled to open until the afternoon. Realizing that by the afternoon we would probably be to tired to climb the Duomo we chose to climb the Campanile instead. I mean, it?s only 20 meters less and you can get a picture of the Duomo from the top! After successfully completing the mission we spent more time than normal at the top to catch our breath. If this was the US they would have a guy selling cokes up there (in addition to T-shirts saying ?I climbed the Campanile?). Thankfully this was not the case. We did however stop again for a few drinks and gelato at the first café out the door. No beer has ever tasted so good!

After a nice long break we went to see the Baptistery followed by a nice lunch at an outdoor café and consumed more water and adult beverages. This was followed by a nice long nap. Following suggestions from numerous people we decided to head up to Piazza Micheangelo just before sunset (it happened to be located behind our hotel?.up an insane hill but still right behind it. By the way, there are buses that go up there, which we failed to realize after the second major climb of the day) This is an unbelievable sight. From the top you get a great panorama view of the entire city and countryside. We sat down at a café at the top and had some drinks as the sun went down. We bought some small statues of the David off a vendor to bring home (big hit with the co-workers). Walked back down the hill (takes much less time).

At the end of the day we decided that despite our expectations of Florence we had really seen everything we wanted to. Furthermore, since many of the shops and restaurants were going to be closed all weekend for the holiday we decided to cancel our return trip for the final night. (Timing Florence like this was a bit of a disappointment but in reality I think we spent enough time there). Instead of returning to Florence we decided to stay in San Gimignano?.but first we were going to Siena.

SIENA

The ride to Siena was a quick 45 minutes and the directions for our hotel, PALAZZO RAVIZZA, were quite good. I realize that there are numerous positive comments about this hotel, but I have to give one more. This place is outstanding. Our room was quite large, as was the bathroom (with a separate shower and tub) and we had a view from our room of the Tuscan countryside that was unparalleled. The courtyard for breakfast was also stunning and the food was the best of all the hotels we stayed at. I cannot recommend this hotel enough.

While Florence was going to be shut down today, Siena was the complete opposite. Today was the day of the Palio and we had planned to be here for this event. I apologize in advance if I inadvertently say something about the Palio that will insult anyone from Siena. We had read up on the Palio and were aware of the race?s historic significance. For those who are not aware, here is a basic summary of what it entails.

There are 17 contradas or neighborhoods in Siena. Each one has its own flag, mascot, colors, songs and the people within Siena identify with their contrada, before they identify with their city, nation or continent. There is no way I can possibly convey how much these people identify with their contrada. As with most things in life there are contradas who are ?friends? and contradas who are enemies. While the contradas are, in many occasions, only streets apart they are clearly distinct. You just have to see it. Every year for about the last 1000 years they run the Palio Horse Race (well, they run it twice but the one in August is supposedly more important than the one in July because it lasts all year) which is basically a 3 lap horse race around the main Piazza in Siena. The race is comprised of 10 of the 17 contrada. The Palio, to the people of Siena, is like the Final 4, Super Bowl and World Series all wrapped into one event. It is that big. I have been to numerous sporting events before, but none like this.

We got there early in the morning in time to catch the last trial run before the actual race later that evening. According to Palio tradition it is very bad luck to win this trial race. This was highly evident by the fact that every jockey was pulling hard on their horse?s reins the entire 3 laps around the Piazza trying to prevent them from running fast. All but one jockey was successful with the exception of the Giraffe whose horse apparently really wanted to win. Thus, the Giraffe was certain to lose (remember this).

While we spent a good portion of the day wandering around Siena (everything was open despite Ferragosto) we made sure to get back into the Piazza by the 4PM deadline. We managed to also have lunch in a small café that actually served us pasta in the microwaveable dish (Michaelangelo café or something like that. If you go avoid the pasta). Back to the Palio. The reason we had to get back by 4PM was due to the ?seating arrangements? at the Palio. Here is a basic rundown of what you can expect to find as far as a seat:
For at least $350 you can get a bleacher seat on the outside of the track. Hard wood seat with no back. For considerably more you can get a space in one of the many offices/apartments/buildings that overlook the square. This would be like luxury suites in modern stadiums. The rest of the people (i.e. us) can watch the race for free in the interior of the track, but you have to get there at least 3 hours prior to the start of the race because they lock the gates. Thus, we watched for free. However, what I have failed to mention is that being locked in the interior for 3+ hours involves the following: enduring major heat, no bathrooms, at least 60,000 other people squashed together which as the race gets closer move in stampede-fashion toward the exterior of the gates. I loved it. My four foot ten inch wife though otherwise.

Because it was asked in a post I read before going to the Palio I will make a point to mention: DO NOT BRING CHILDREN TO THE PALIO. They will be very uncomfortable, very upset, will not see anything and make your experience terrible. Now, if you plan to splurge for a building view your experience may likely be the opposite.

Before getting to the race I should really make mention of the fact that we were watching the race in the middle of a large section of members of the Bruco contrada (aka the caterpillar or Baylor as I dubbed them as they had the same colors as the university, more like Oregon but I digress). We really learned what this race meant to the people of Siena just standing next to these people. I cannot describe the facial expressions and emotions these people went through as the race came closer and numerous false starts only delayed the race from finally beginning. It was unreal. Watching them pray as the starting positions were announced. Cursing when their enemy got a good position. And showing , more displeasure when they were awarded one of the outside positions.

Nevertheless, after 3 hours in the middle of tens of thousands of people, which involved a two-hour procession and at least an hour of false starts the race finally started. As they dropped the rope the 8 horses on the far-left side were all bunched together and all delayed each other from getting out. Thus, Bruco (the group we were with) and incidentally the Giraffe (the bad luck horse) were off to a huge lead. It was obvious after the first turn that one of these horses was going to win. The members of Bruco couldn?t believe it. They had a strong chance of winning the race. It was them vs. the unlucky horse. I was just waiting to see if the tradition was true and Bruco would prevail. Well, tradition is tradition and coming around the turn for the final lap the Giraffe collided into the interior wall and knocked itself out of the race. The caterpillar was going to win and they had a whole lap to celebrate.

The place went nuts. We were in the middle of a mosh pit and it was unreal. Arguably the greatest sporting event I have ever seen. I say I, as my wife missed the entire thing as she was staring at some guy?s back the whole time. Nevertheless, she did enjoy and experience the post-race festivities where the entire city follows the winning horse and contrada around the city, through the Duomo and finally back to their contrada where the party really begins. What an experience.
In sum, I will never forget Siena and the Palio. One of those things I am truly grateful for experiencing and cannot recommend enough.

SIENA TO SAN GIMIGNANO BY WAY OF VOLTERRA

We slept in the day after the Palio enjoying a leisurely breakfast back at the beautiful courtyard at the Palazzo Ravizza. Our plan this day was to drive to Volterra (based on numerous Fodors recos) and finish late in the day in San gimignano and ultimately spending the night there. Because it was Sunday we had no guarantees if anything would be open in Volterra so just in case we had decided if it was quiet we?d backtrack to Colle or get to SanG earlier. We took the scenic ride from Siena to Volterra, which was absolutely gorgeous even in the dead of summer. Cannot say enough about this ride. My wife took a half a roll of pictures from the moving car. This was what we had pictured Tuscany to look like. Just gorgeous.

After about 45 minutes to an hour we arrived at Volterra which is basically perched on a cliff with an outstanding view of the valley below. When we got to Volterra we were quite surprised to see that the main parking lot was full and that we were being directed to a lot further away. We were further surprised to see that they were charging $3 to park and handing out brochures. This was our first experience in a small Tuscan town and we surprised to see what we thought was a small town cashing in on tourism. This initial impression (which lasted less than a minute) was quickly changed.

When we got out of the car to walk back up to the town we glanced through the brochure to find out that this was not a tourists guide to the town but rather an information pamphlet on a festival they were having that day! What luck. Not only was the town not closed this Sunday following Ferragosto, but they were having a festival. We would not be heading to Colle today or early to SanG. We were going to be spending the day in Volterra. The Festival was the Day of the 1398 Festival celebrating the sixth year of Volterra when the city came alive with music, theatre dancing and juggling. The festival is held every year on August 17th and 24th. We lucked into the 17th.

To celebrate the festivity the medieval city of 1398 was recreated throughout the city with markets, workshops, musicians, jugglers, games, foodstands and animals in order to provide an opportunity of what the Middle Ages were like in Volterra. In fact they eliminated the Euro as an acceptable form of currency and you were required to go the ?old currency exchange office? to exchange the Euro for ?grossos? the currency of the time. They hold gold, silver and copper grossos, which were respectively worth different amounts. This was a great day. We tried all different types of foods, played Medieval games, listened to different groups playing music. Truly remarkable. Outside of getting lost trying to find the Roman ruins (which we never located) it was a great day in Volterra. A truly authentic experience and much different from that which we would encounter forty minutes later.

A scenic forty-minute ride brought us to San Gimigano. We were happy to realize we would be arriving at 5PM in SanG as numerous posters had said the city is far more enjoyed after the day-trippers leave. While we were happy to see that the town was 100% open in light of the Italian holiday, after visiting Volterra and everything authentic about it we were disappointed with SanG. If it were truly an ?authentic Italian city? it would have been closed for the holiday. Siena was hopping because of the Palio. Volterra was active because of the festival. SanG had nothing exceptional going on but unlike Florence, everything was open. (not that we were complaining)

When we got there it wasn?t terribly crowded, but the city still had a tourist feel. Shops all selling the same stuff. Packaged wine and olive oil to ?bring back home to friends?. T-shirt shops with the name of the town on it. While Venice was filled with tourists, I wouldn?t describe it as a tourist trap. SanG is a tourist trap. Everything is in English. It is almost as if the people of SanG got together and said we are in between Florence and Siena and people are driving by. Lets do something about it. Lets create a Tuscany for the Americans. If SanG were on the water it would be a cruise ship stop?guaranteed. If you have been on a cruise recently to the Western Caribbean this is Costa Maya. A pre-packaged fake medieval city.

Nevertheless, we did have a good time and there were some bright spots. We surprisingly really enjoyed the Torture Museum. A great museum that is very well done and very informative. It is also open very late (midnight?) We enjoyed this spot. The city was in fact nice at night when it gets less crowded and the towers create an image of medieval times. However, it did have a Magic Kingdom feel. For those looking for a pretty good place to stay we stayed at the HOTEL BEL SOGGIORNO which is on the main street and was the cheapest place we stayed. Only E100.

FINAL DAY

Because we used our open-jaw back in NYC we had to backtrack to Venice. We took a slight detour so that my wife could stop at the famous outlets outside Florence. My wife got a Gucci purse for significantly less than what stores were charging in the cities (different merchandise though) and I got a bunch of ties. All in all not bad. Sped the whole way back to Venice and arrived early afternoon.

Venice is quite possibly the best place to end a trip. After having been there already we took it easy walking around and just admiring what we enjoyed just 4 days earlier. We had a nice gondola ride at sunset, a great canal-side dinner at DA? Rafaelo, and enjoyed drinks on Piazza San Marco listening to the orchestras. A perfect end to a great vacation.

THE END!

Great report, eschule! It brought back many memories from our own recent trip. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks eschule. I especially enjoyed hearing about the Palio, since I'm not much taller than your wife I doubt I'll ever see it either. :)

I admire your willingness to combine planned events with spontaneity. Glad you enjoyed your trip, heat and all.

sounds like a great trip-we leave a week from tomorrow and I can't wait! Interesting tip on San G. -- You're the 3rd or 4th person I've heard that from and we may have to cut it if we get short on time.

Nice report ! You had some unique experiences with the Palio and the festival in Volterra--I envy you that one. You will be happy to know that the infamous Dario is a catepillar. He tells me that the celebration is still going on and will not end until 11 Oct.
We will be there for that one.

Terrific report!!! Invaluable in planning my next foray.

I really enjoyed you trip report. Thank you for sharing it with us! My husband and I are planning to go Italy for the first time next year so I love reading about other people's experiences. Sounds like you had a great time!

eschule-

Thanks for your report. I wish I could get around to reading everyone's trip report, but something is always calling one away from Fodor's!

Living in Texas heat as well, I liked hearing your views on how one of us fared in the excessive Italian summer heat this summer. What you are acclimated to does makes a difference in how you do with it. It gives me a better perspective. Also, do you mind telling if you are from a dryer (West TX), humid (Dallas or east TX), or even more humid climate (Houston or coast) of Texas? Big difference. I appreciate your straightforward opinion on San G. Of course, it's always subjective, but I am easily mislead by sugar-coated comments. I hate that! Do you remember your room # at Palazzo Ravizza or did they all have such a view? The ties were a good idea and easy to pack. Were they a good deal?

The Palio and festival were very interesting! You did a great job describing the Palio. Sounds like you really enjoyed this as well as being in the middle of the action!

Welcome back and glad you and your wife had such a great trip!

Eschule - Thank you for the great report! You shared a lot of very useful info for our first trip to Italy next Spring. I was thinking of hitting the Gucci Outlet as well. Did your wife feel the selection was worth the time??

swalter, I call it like I see it. We did not plan to go to SanG initially but due to the holiday and the fact that we did not see a major need to return to Florence we thought that day would be better spent in Central Tuscany. We chose SanG based on location and because we were planning on getting there in the late afternoon or early evening when numerous posters said it was best. Others may disagree and they are more than entitled to their opinion. I should however note that along the way we met a nice family who had been travelling for 6 weeks throughout europe and their 2 kids (probably like 8 and 10) thought SanG was the best place they visited in all of Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

bobthenavigator, that is high praise. your comments, and others, on Volterra were a major reason we chose that town over others. we truly lucked out in Volterra.

RLA, we live in Dallas. It was literally 109 when we left here. I tend to describe Dallas summer as similar to sticking your head inside an oven. N ot really humid but just pure heat. We tricked ourselves into believing that no place (other than Houston or New Orleans) is worse than here in the Summer and that the reports of heat in Italy were overrated. Well, it was really hot. Air-conditioning is an absolute must. We were also there during a major heatwave so I am not sure if that is indicative of a normal summer! In regards to the ties, I bought a few at Armani and others at Fendi for less than $20 each (reduced from like $100). In the streets of Florence they sell a lot of silk ties for about $5.

Tweeter, the selction at the outlets was different than that which was in the stores in Venice and Florence. I think the "new stuff" was not available (as we had taken orders from friends)however there was still plenty to choose from. It wasn't bargain basement prices at "the Mall" (maybe Prada is different as they are more isolated) but as expected my wife managed to find at least one or two things she wanted!

Eschule - thanks so much for the great report. We leave tomorrow (22 hours and 40 minutes from now, but I'm not counting :) ), and your description of Tuscany has added to my anticipation.

We, too, are from Texas - specifically Houston. I know what you mean about heat. In other trips, we have decided that "air conditioning" is a relative term, and the "air conditioning" in a hotel in Mexico is much less effective than the a/c in Texas!

The Palio sounds like an incredible event. The rivalry sounds to me like the college rivalries we have here (i.e. the Texas / Texas A&M rivalry) - though multiplied by several times!!!

Thanks again for the great report.

eschule, can I take you to vegas? Because clearly you are an incredibly lucky person!

For your first trip, you guys did REAL well. Just happening to be in the midst of the winning contrada at Palio? That's a once in a lifetime thrill!! And the festival in Volterra, one of my favorite hill towns.

I really enjoyed your report, which made me feel I was seeing these dear places with fresh eyes. I will just say that San Gimignano is, in fact, an authentic medieval town with considerable charm, but has been over-commercialized in recent years and does now have that Disneyland feeling.

Now you must plan to return, because there are so many more wonderful Tuscan towns to visit, each with its own personality. And now you know the rules for Piazzale Michaelangelo in Florence: walk down, taxi up.

TXStone,

It's funny you mention that. When I have described the Palio to some friends from here I use that exact analogy! Imagine Big XII (or Big 10 or SEC) football but instead of a whole season it is one day, and there is no other sport. That still doesn't do the Palio justice. Maybe if instead of football it was a 100 meter dash and that was all anyone cared about. There is no American comparison for this race (maybe one specific Olympic event, but even that people forget about a few days later).

I should also note that, as stupid as it sounds, I did give a college football name to every contrada so that I could identify it (memorizing 17 neighborhood names and their logos was to difficult.) Thus, the dubbing of the Bruco contrada as Baylor because they were green and yellow. There was also Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Boston college. For frame of reference, the giraffe (the unlucky horse) I had named Oklahoma because they were red and white. I did (silently) enjoy watching them lose at the end even though I had no real reason to root against any specific contrada!

eschule,

Great trip report! Thanks for the details. We leave in 10 days and I can't wait.

Bob, If you are reading this--- tell me about the festival in Siena.. is it Oct. 11th? We will be there the same time as you, so would appreciate any details.
Deb

Marilyn,

You are dead-on on Piazza Michaelangelo. We looked at the map, and verified with the front desk that it was literally right behind the hotel. Right behind but straight up. I should have dawned on us that if we were going to get a great view of the city it wasn't going to be easy. Still can't believe we did that within a few hours of climbing the bell tower!

Fantastic view though.